| A growing number of colleges and universities are requiring students to practice reflective writing or to keep a learning journal. Reflective writing is more personal than other forms of academic writing. It involves reflective thinking; looking back on an experience or event and considering it in depth. This means reflecting on anxieties and weaknesses as well as strengths.
Reflective Writing and Learning Journals
In a learning context, reflective writing is when a student takes the time to think not only about what they are learning, but importantly, how they learn, what thoughts and feelings arose at the time, their conclusions about the learning experience, and what they will do in the future. A learning Journal is a place where students can record their experiences.
Reflection is a useful process when working with material that is presented in a relatively unstructured manner or is about ideas and strategies that are very individual. In these cases, reflection is the key ingredient for transforming experiences into learning. Learning journals are used for many reasons including:
To record and learn from experience
To develop critical thinking or development of a questioning attitude
To increase active involvement in learning and the ability to reflect and think
To enhance problem solving skills and reflective practice.
For reasons of personal development and self empowerment.
To enhance creativity and to improve writing.
To improve self expression.
A learning journal may contain details of problems learners have encountered and solved (or not solved). Formal learning is "taught" in a formal academic setting. Informal learning is learning which takes place outside a formal academic setting, for example, though talking with friends or colleagues in a social or work setting. A Learning Journal is a personal document. Its content may be very loosely structured and only relevant to the individual. It can be a valuable and useful 'tool' to help think about and structure learning.
Models of Reflection
There are numerous models of reflection that can help students get started. One such model is the Gibbs Cycle of Reflection which is an easy template for analyzing a learning experience. Choose one event that happened and ask the following questions:
Description – What happened?
Feeling – What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
What was good and bad about the experience?
Analysis – What sense can be made of the situation?
Conclusion – What else could have been done?
Action plan – What needs to be done next time?
For example, if students attend a lecture and find they do not write very much and experience difficulty following along, they may feel frustrated. Recording the experience in a learning journal using the Gibbs model can help make sense of the situation. By standing back and analyzing what went wrong (such as they tried to write down every word and missed much of the lecture or did not understand the content because they had not done the reading beforehand ), students will learn from the experience.
By understanding and acknowledging what else could have been done, students will hopefully gain awareness of how they might do things differently in the future as a consequence of their learning experience.
It takes a while to adjust to keeping a learning journal, but it is very useful tool for students who want to reflect on their learning experiences. There are numerous models available to students and creative ways to approach reflective activities. This article has offered one such a model.
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